


Of Collars And Kisses

by Deathtouch



Series: Of Submissives and Their Owners [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Abused character, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - BDSM, Alternate Universe - Domestic, Barebacking, Collars, Crying, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dom/sub Undertones, Domestic, Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, Dominant/Submissive, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fleshlights, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kissing, M/M, Married Couple, Married Life, Master/Pet, Medical Examination, Medical Procedures, Men Crying, Mentions of Panic Attacks, Minor Cosmetic Surgery, Multi, Nightmares, Past Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Petplay Undertones, Praise Kink, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sex Toys, Threesome - M/M/M, Worldbuilding, implied/referenced PTSD, mentions of amputation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2017-04-24
Packaged: 2018-10-23 08:47:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10716105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deathtouch/pseuds/Deathtouch
Summary: ☛ in which i write a fanfic loosely based on a story my coworker told me about how they found a dog tied to a tree in the woods behind their house... only... jesse mccree is the dogThis was the longest they had ever left their sub, Jesse, home alone. Since Jesse was a rescue, he got nervous by himself. It ended in disaster the first few times they tried to go out on their own and leave him behind. It felt cruel to lock him away in crate or out in the backyard, so they abstained from having date night for a while.Gabriel had been working hard these past few months, trying to train the sub right, and this was the final test. They had been gone for nearly two hours this time. Were they about to walk into a wrecked living room?





	Of Collars And Kisses

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SubwayWolf](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SubwayWolf/gifts).



> everyone please read and consider the additional tags on this fic! i chose not to use archive warnings, but that doesn't mean that none apply. this fic is filled with mentions of abuse and implications of noncon. also, jesse's age isn't specified so if underage is something that bothers you, this fic may not be for you. 
> 
> this fic is definitely inspired by a story my coworker told me, but also those [dodo](https://twitter.com/dodo) videos of dogs being rescued ([like this one](https://twitter.com/dodo/status/855507953356382208)) and [the dogist'](https://twitter.com/thedogist)s tweets (like [this one](https://twitter.com/thedogist/status/855801304395984896) and [this one](https://twitter.com/thedogist/status/852674732189130753)). 
> 
> and most importantly, a big huge HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my best pal [subwaywolf](http://archiveofourown.org/users/SubwayWolf/pseuds/SubwayWolf)! i am so happy i got to write this amazing fic with one of his fave pairings for his birthday!! it's thanks to him i even play overwatch so this fic really wouldn't exist without his positive influence on my life. he was even kind enough beta-read his own bday gift :') wow what a guy. his editing is always the perfect finishing touch to my writing. thank you subwaywolf and happy birthday !!!

  
Gabriel reached across the table to dig his spoon into his dessert. It was date night after all, their first date night in a long time, and they had indulged by ending dinner with something extravagantly sugary and sweet. He scooped up a bite of cool ice cream and warm fudge brownie. He’d have to take the longer path on his run tomorrow morning but it was worth it.

“You sure about this?” Jack asked softly.

Gabriel looked up at him. The lighting in the restaurant was romantically dim but it left his husband’s face in half shadow. For a second he thought Jack was asking if he was sure about splurging on dessert, then it occurred to him what he really meant.

“I think so,” he said before taking a bite. It was decadent and delicious and everything he wanted. “I mean, it’d be cruel to give him up at this point. It’s never easy to own a pet, especially a rescue, but he’s ours now.”

“Yeah,” Jack smiled and leaned forward into the light. “It does feel that way, doesn’t it? Kind of makes me queasy to think of him with another family.”

Gabriel knew the feeling. He wasn’t queasy enough to stop him for going in on more dessert, though. He fought Jack with his spoon for an equal share of the brownie sundae. When they were finished eating, they kissed. The romantic gesture was just as sickeningly sweet as their dessert.  Gabriel swiped the check before Jack could even glance at it, even though he was paying with their joint credit card.

It was nearly nine o’clock by the time they left the restaurant. The sun had set a long time ago and the quiet suburban streets were even darker than the dim mood lighting inside. Jack was in charge of carrying their leftovers, which had been graciously packaged and put into a brown doggy bag by the waiter.

They walked down the street to where their SUV was parked. It was a far cry from the ’69 Ford Mustang Mach1 Coupe Gabriel had once hoped to own. When he got in the driver’s seat and held hands with Jack over the center console, it wasn’t so bad, though. In fact, he preferred this to the dreams of the open road and a perfect car. 

It was short drive home. Their house wasn’t anything special, one of a dozen similar others in the neighborhood. It had taken some convincing for Jack to sell his father’s farm. Gabriel didn’t mind living in Indiana, but there was no way he was living out in the middle of a corn field, miles from civilization.

They both got what they wanted with this place. It was still close to Jack’s family and they had a yard that backed into the woods, giving them plenty of land and space. Most importantly, it was newly renovated; at least it had been when they first moved in eleven years ago. These days, it always seemed like something needed to be fixed, but Gabriel didn’t mind. It kept him busy.

Gabriel pulled into the garage and parked, shutting the car off. The headlights stayed on awhile, beaming bright circles of light onto the wall in front of them.

“I guess this is it,” he said thoughtfully. “We’ll see how he managed without us.”

This was the longest they had ever left their sub, Jesse, home alone. Since Jesse was a rescue, he got nervous by himself. It ended in disaster the first few times they tried to go out on their own and leave him behind. It felt cruel to lock him away in crate or out in the backyard, so they abstained from having date night for a while. 

Gabriel had been working hard these past few months, trying to train the sub right, and this was the final test. They had been gone for nearly two hours this time. Were they about to walk into a wrecked living room? Gabe didn’t think so. He didn’t know for sure, though. That’s what gave him pause.

“If he did tear up the place while we were out…are we really going to get rid of him?” Jack asked, hand hovering on the door handle.

Gabriel offered a guilty smile. “I don’t know. Are we?”

That's what they told themselves before dinner.  _If he can't handle this, we can't keep him_. They both knew, deep down, that they would make any excuse to keep Jesse. 

“Let’s go inside and see how he did.” Jack opened the car door and got out. 

Gabriel lead the way up the front. Crickets were chirping in the grass. He pulled back the screen door and then unlocked the front door. They had left the lights in the living room on. Jesse was curled up on the couch and he lifted his head at the noise of the door opening. He smiled when he saw them.

Nothing appeared to be out of place. The coffee table wasn’t overturned. The books weren’t torn off the shelf. Jesse didn’t look hurt in any way. Subs were usually kept naked, and Jesse was no exception, but he was wearing one of Gabriel’s black hoodies. It was much too big for him and hung down to his thighs. He must have gone into their bedroom and gotten it while they were out. That was the only thing out of place, though. Jesse had been a good boy while they were gone. He'd done it. 

“Hey, Jess.” Gabriel walked over to him and ruffled his brown hair. “You miss us?”

Jesse nodded his head yes.

“Whose sweater is that?” Gabriel teased him.

Jesse looked down at himself as if he had no idea he was even wearing a sweater. He tugged on the hem curiously as though seeing it for the first time.

Hah. Gabriel wasn’t falling for that. He was so happy that the house wasn’t a mess he didn’t even mind the mild disobedience in taking the hoodie. “Grab one out of the closet, not the hamper next time.”

“Hungry, buddy?” Jack asked after locking up the front door. He wiped his feet on the door mat and held up the brown paper bag of left overs.

Jesse’s eyes got big. He sat up straight and nodded his head eagerly. 

They were desperately trying to pack some meat onto Jesse's bones. He’d been half-starved when they found him, among other things. Gabriel made sure he was fed three square meals a day with plenty of healthy fat and protein, but they weren’t shy about giving him extra treats. He needed it. The littlest things like giving him food really made Jesse happy. It almost broke Gabriel’s heart.

“Go to the kitchen.” Jack pointed.

Jesse got up off the couch and went, walking barefoot out of the living room and into the kitchen. When he was gone, Jack and Gabriel shared a look. There was no doubt in their minds: they were keeping him now. If Gabriel was being really honest with himself this whole ‘fostering’ thing was just a guise to keep Jesse long term. He was glad it had worked out.

“Should we tell him tonight?” Jack asked quietly.

Gabriel nodded. “Why not?”

They went to join Jesse in the kitchen. He was a smart sub. He got his own placemat and silverware and he set the table studiously. He looked up at Jack and Gabe as they joined him, an expression that read perfectly as ‘ _is this okay’_?

“Good boy,” Jack commended him. “Sit down.”

Jesse did as he was told.

Jack helped unpack the Styrofoam box from the brown paper bag. He opened it up and gave Jesse the go ahead. “Dig in.”

“Thank you,” Jesse said in his curiously low drawl. 'Thank you' was one of very few phrases he was permitted to speak. They were training him to be a silent sub for now and hoped to allow some talking in the future. 

Jesse picked up a fork with the one good hand he had and started eating Jack’s leftovers, creamy pasta. Gabriel and Jack took their usual places at the dinner table, scraping back the chairs to sit down. Jesse looked up at the both of them while stuffing his mouth full. He didn’t seem to understand what was going on and that worried him. He didn’t stop eating, though. It was tough to take food away from him once it had been given and only a fool would try.

“We wanted to talk to you, Jess.” Gabriel told him kindly. “It’s nothing bad, you’re not in trouble. We just wanted to let you know we’ve decided to keep you as our sub.”

That gave Jesse pause. He sat hunched over with a fork halfway to his mouth. He glanced between the two of them as if waiting for one of them to say that they were just kidding. When it didn’t happen, he quietly swallowed.

“We’ll have to get you registered,” Jack explained helpfully. “That means we'll need to chip you. You’re going to have to start wearing a collar when you go outside. You’ll get to stay with us, though. Forever.”

It took a few seconds for Jesse to fully understand what he was hearing. The realization that slowly crossed his face was incredible to see. He looked at Gabriel for reassurance and Gabriel nodded. Jesse made a quiet, strangled noise. His bottom lip began to tremble and his eyes began to water and then he began to cry openly.

He got up from his seat and stumbled towards Gabriel, holding his arm out like a child clutching for their mother. Gabriel slid his chair back and scooped Jesse right up. He was way, way too big of a sub to be doing something like this, but it didn’t stop either of them. Jesse pressed his face to Gabriel’s neck and sobbed into it. He was still awkwardly holding his fork.

 _Favorite,_  Jack mouthed at Gabriel from across the table. 

Jack was always teasing him, saying that Jesse liked him better. It was no coincidence that Jesse went running to him for comfort. Gabriel just rolled his eyes. He slid a hand under his baggy sweatshirt that covered Jesse’s frame and rubbed the sub’s back in soothing circles.

“It’s okay, Jess. It’s okay.” 

 

* * *

 

After Jesse finished eating, Gabriel walked with him into the living room. He sat down on his usual side of the sofa. Jesse laid on the couch too. He draped himself over half the cushions and laid his head down on Gabriel's thigh. Gabe gently stroked his soft brown hair. 

In the first few weeks after they rescued him, Jesse was practically afraid of the couch. He would rather hide just behind the door frame or sit and watch Jack and Gabe from the corner of the room. After a while, his fear gave way and he began acting out. Jesse tested his boundaries and began throwing tantrums. He broke things, got violent, and challenged Jack and Gabriel head-on. 

As soon as the tantrums would start, Gabriel would get to work subduing them. He would hug Jesse from behind, stilling any movement. Then it was a waiting game until Jesse stopped fighting and struggling. Gabriel wouldn't let him go until his breathing slowed and his body went still. They often ended up panting on the floor, Gabe clutching him desperately and whispering for him to be calm. 

When the tantrums were over, Gabriel would carefully help Jesse to the couch. They would curl up just like this, Jesse's head on Gabe's thigh. Gabe always stroked his hair afterward while quietly lecturing him. He would remind the sub that outbursts would not be tolerated and that Jesse would need to clean up his mess and apologize before they all went to bed. 

Jesse's last outburst had been less than a month ago. He'd changed a lot since then. It was hard to recognize the sub curled up in his lap right now as the pitiful thing he'd found chained up in the woods.

It felt like yesterday that Gabriel had found him. He could still remember the details with crystal clarity. 

Gabe had been out on one of his typical morning runs, following a trail through the woods behind their house. He hadn't expected to come across anyone, not even other runners.

Finding a sub was the last thing he thought would happen. Jesse's previous owners hadn't just abandoned him. They had tied him up, making sure he couldn't run away or get help. They were trying to kill him. 

Gabriel still remembered the collar around Jesse's throat. It was spiked in the inside, the sharp points embedded in Jesse's reddened skin, blood crusted and dried all down his neck. He had mats in his hair, bruises, and infected tattoos that were all signs of abuse. That collar was the worst thing of all. Gabriel felt so guilty prying it off. The whimpers of hurt and pain coming from Jesse when he removed that collar would haunt Gabe until his dying day. 

The poor sub still had ugly scars from it. These days he wore a red bandana to hide the marks. He didn't like having his neck touched and probably never would.

Jack joined them in the living room. He scooped Jesse's legs up and sat down on the far cushion, dropping the sub's feet onto his lap. He touched the bare pads of his toes absently and Jesse seemed not to notice. 

"Hey, buddy," he said, wiggling Jesse's toe gently. "Did you hear what I said at the dinner table about wearing a collar?" 

Jesse curled up tighter, drawing his legs in and pulling his foot from Jack's grasp. 

"He's right." Gabriel leaned down deep to press a kiss to Jesse's hair. It was illegal to take a sub out without a leash and collar. Jesse adapted well to wearing a bandana. Hopefully he'd be open to wearing a comfortable leather collar. "You have to wear one. We'll see if we can find a nice soft one. Do you think you can handle that?" 

Jesse didn't respond at all. 

"I'll call the clinic tomorrow and see if they have an opening for an appointment," Jack added, looking over to Gabe. "Angela will probably squeeze us in." 

When they had first found Jesse, they immediately called over an old friend of theirs, Ana Amari. She wasn't a doctor but she had some medical skills and knowledge. She was right there with them those first few days, cleaning wounds and spoon-feeding Jesse antibiotics. Without her, Jesse might not have made it. 

As luck would have it, Ana's daughter-in-law Angela was the head doctor at the local clinic. They would need approval from a doctor in order to register Jesse as their own. Angela knew the situation better than most people. She wouldn't judge them for bringing in an uncollared sub with tattoos and scars who was missing an arm. 

"You think we can take him to the doctor's office and the D.o.S.A. tomorrow or is that too much for him?" Jack asked, not sounding entirely confident. 

"Jesse can handle it. Can't you, big guy?" Gabriel stroked back his hair to see Jesse's face. He was looking off towards the other side of the room, quietly taking this all in without offering any kind of acknowledgement or reply. 

"Do you know what a chip is, Jesse?" Jack asked. 

Jesse didn't respond. 

"It's nothing to be worried about," Gabriel quickly announced, giving Jack a look. A _'don't get him riled up or so help me God, you're going to have to deal with it_ ' kind of look. 

"Jesus, Gabe," Jack laughed. "You talk so tough about not babying him, but you're softer on him than I am." 

Gabriel scoffed. "He's had a long night." They had left home alone for nearly two hours, and then hit him with the huge news that he would be staying here with them forever. That was a lot to deal with. Jesse didn't need to be teased, or poked, or threatened with collars and chips. 

"Yeah, no, you're right." Jack agreed, looking down at Jesse. "It has been a long night. We should go to bed." 

It was early still, but not too early to head into the bedroom. "You two go on, I want to check some emails." 

Jack nodded, and he gave Jesse's leg a pat. "Come on, buddy. Bed time." 

Jesse slowly sat up and stretched a little before leaning in and gently kissing Gabe on the cheek. Gabe would be lying if he said his heart didn't grow two sizes in his chest every time that happened. Jesse then got off the couch and reached out to take Jack's hand. The two of them disappeared down the hallway. 

The first thing Gabe did was text Ana and let her knew they were definitely keeping Jesse. She would be glad to hear it. Then he opened his email and got to work reading and responding to a few. He had a position at a nice private security company. The company only contracted him out to work odd jobs a few weeks at a time and only for a few months out of the year. He still had to be on top of things going on, though, especially if he wanted to put in for the better jobs when they were offered. 

It didn't take him long to finish. Gabe made a sweep of the house, locking all the doors, turning out the lights, and putting anything left out away. He got ready for bed in the bathroom down the hall, brushing his teeth and taking a couple passes with a military boar brush on his buzzed head. It was still funny to him to see Jesse's toothbrush between his and Jack's in the toothbrush holder. He liked these little reminders, which were everywhere in the house. 

When he went into the bedroom, Jack and Jesse were already curled up in bed. Jack was reading on his tablet and Jesse was cuddled under his arm watching the words pass by on the screen. They had learned early on that he couldn't read. They considered teaching him, and probably would now that they were keeping him, but it wasn't a priority. 

Gabe turned down the covers on his side and got into bed. It was a little unreasonable to have the three of them all sleep together, but now that they had started none of them wanted to stop. There was enough room to fit them all but just barely. The lights were still on since Jack was still wide awake but that didn't stop Gabe from readily nodding off as soon as he was comfortable. 

 

* * *

 

Gabe woke groggily in the middle of the night. The lights were off. He could feel movement beside him and the sounds of ragged breathing. Another bad dream. Half-awake and half asleep he turned over on his side and reached out to clutch Jesse close. 

"Wake up," he ordered in a sleepy voice. 

Jesse stilled, his breath catching. He moaned low and his voice broke into a cry. His body started to shake with sobs.

Gabriel held him and kissed the top of his head. "Just a bad dream," he muttered sleepily. He closed his eyes, already drifting off again. He was stuck in a twilight state of almost-asleep until Jesse stopped crying. Only then did he really fall back asleep too.

When Gabe woke a second time, it was morning. The lights weren't on but the bedroom was filled with sunlight. He was alone in bed and he stretched happily, relishing the mattress space he had all to himself. After a few minutes, he got up and wandered into the kitchen, from which he heard noises. 

Jack and Jesse were at the counter cutting fruit. Jesse had only recently been trusted to use knives and he wielded his carefully with his good arm.

Gabe came towards the two of them. He leaned in to kiss Jack on the cheek first and then bent low to give Jesse's shoulder a kiss. He nudged his morning wood against the sub's backside and smirked to himself as Jesse's knife-work faltered. 

"We're making breakfast here," Jack scolded, fully aware of what was going on beside him.

"Looks almost done to me," Gabriel replied, reaching between the two of them to pick up a cube of diced watermelon. He popped it into his mouth. "C'mon, Jess. Come sit with me." 

They hadn't tested Jesse for STIs yet. There were no obvious indicators that might imply that he had something but it was better not to take risks. Although he was willing now that he had warmed up to them, often making passes at both of them, Jack and Gabe didn't want to accidentally catch something.

They made do with hands and friction between clothing. There was no need to rush into having sex anyway. They were keeping Jesse and they had plenty of time to fuck him. The rest of their lives, in fact. 

That didn't stop Gabe from having his fun. He took a seat at the breakfast table in the kitchen and sat Jesse down in his lap. It was probably uncomfortable for poor Jesse, sitting on hard wood like that, but he didn't seem to mind. 

Jack served them up fresh fruit, toast, juice and made oatmeal for himself. He shook his head as he sat down across from them at the table. "You two are filthy." 

"We're not doing anything," Gabriel replied with feigned innocence. 

He dropped one hand in Jesse's lap, palm oh-so-casually resting over the sub's soft cock. The gesture made Jesse shift his hips and squirm. Gabe speared fruit onto his fork with his other hand, bringing it to the sub's mouth. Jesse made a happy noise as he took the bite. Gabe watched his lips work up close.

It was all only slightly sexual. This was impossibly tame compared to how most subs were kept. Any other household and Jesse would be fucked over the table, on the counter, against the kitchen walls. 

Somehow, Gabriel preferred this.

 

* * *

 

 

After breakfast Gabriel headed out for his usual morning run. After stretching on the back porch he jogged off into the woods behind the house, following the trail into the trees. He had his phone and earbuds with him. 

He used to listen to music when he ran but these days he listed to a podcast on training subs. It had helped him a lot with Jesse. He was trying to listen to all the episodes in chronological order but he skipped ahead today to listen to the registration episode. Gabe was sure he knew what to do. Jack and him had done the research on their own time on how to go about registering a sub, but there was no harm in learning a little more. 

The trail had a few paths that split off but for the most part it was a big loop. It was on his way back that he passed the spot where he'd found Jesse three months ago. He almost ran past it but slowed to a stop in the middle of the path. He paused the podcast and stared out into the distance at the thick tree that Jesse had been tied to. There were still marks in the bark from his struggles. 

It was almost like Gabe could see him there, dirty and bloody and scared. Those big brown eyes peering out at him from between the trunks of trees and foliage on the ground.

Gabe's heart ached in his chest, a terrible pain. A lump formed in his throat and he slowly jogged back to the house. 

When he came in the back door, he was dripping with sweat. He passed right through the kitchen and into the living room where Jesse and Jack were curled up on the couch. He went to Jesse and scooped him up in a hug, peppering his face with kisses. 

"Hey, you're a good boy, you know that?" he asked between kisses. 

"C’mon, Gabe! I just bathed him!" Jack protested, a look of dismay on his face when he realized how sweaty Gabe was. 

Jesse put up no protests at all. He laughed and cuddled into Gabriel's big arms. He didn't seem to care that he was becoming a giant sweat sponge. 

"Go take a shower,” Jack suggested. “We have an appointment at the clinic in half an hour." 

Gabriel eased Jesse back down and gave him one last kiss before heading down the hall to get ready. 

 

* * *

 

 

Gabe took a quick shower and got dressed after. Even though he was hurrying, he only had a minute or two to spare before they needed to leave. Jack was putting his shoes on in the living room when Gabriel joined them. 

Taking Jesse out was a little touchy. Whoever had chained him up in the woods had likely driven him there by car. He didn't like going for drives, or leaving the house at all if he could help it. The first time they tried to take him out resulted in a tantrum. After flailing his good arm and cracking Jack in the eye, Jesse had gone running back into the house. He hid under the table and cried for hours. 

They carefully worked up to car rides. It took a lot of convincing to get him into the car on the second attempt. All they did after that was circle the block and go back inside the house. Jesse was a nervous wreck the entire two-minute ride. When he realized they weren't going to drive him out to the middle of nowhere and dump him off he became more agreeable. 

Jack and Gabe generally decided to leave him at home instead of taking him with them anywhere. Leaving him home didn't always work out, either. Jesse had only just proved himself capable of staying home alone last night. Hopefully today he would prove himself capable of going out with them to run errands. 

Gabe approached Jesse and pulled him into a hug. He kissed his ear through his hair. "You gonna be a good boy today?" he asked. 

Jesse nodded. 

"We're going go for a car ride, and we're going to stop and get out a few times but in the end you'll come back home. Got it, Jess?" 

Jesse nodded again. 

"We're going to get you registered today, bud. That means we're going to keep you forever. No one's gonna leave you behind."

Jack spoke up. "We should head out."

"Alright." Gabe released his hug and stepped back. 

He took Jesse by the hand and walked him towards the front door. Thankfully Jesse went along with him without dragging his feet. He followed Gabriel out front and waited patiently by his side as Gabe opened up the door to the back seat. Jesse climbed in without being told. 

"Good boy," Gabriel commended him before he went to climb into the passenger seat up front.

Jack was driving. Gabe watched Jesse from the corner of his eye as they started up the car and pulled out of the driveway. The sub stared wide-eyed out the window but stayed quiet. 

"Do you have your ID on you?" Jack asked. "We're gonna need it at the D.o.S.A." 

"Yeah, yeah." Gabe patted his pants pocket to make sure he had his wallet. "Got it." 

"I brought proof of address and I have cash on me." Jack looked both ways before accelerating onto the state road. "I have my medical insurance information but we're going to have to pay out-of-pocket for this visit." 

Gabriel looked over at him. The mid-morning sun was shining in through the windshield. His blonde hair was so pretty in the light. He was beautiful. Gabriel was lucky to have such an incredible husband. "Thanks for being so prepared." 

Jack glanced away from the road for a second and caught Gabriel's gaze. He picked up on the clear feelings of love emanating from the passenger side of the car and laughed a little self-consciously. "It's nothing," he said, smiling to himself as he drove. 

 

* * *

 

 

The clinic was only a ten-minute drive from their house. It was a standard general practice for families, subs included. It wasn't a special sub hospital, but there was one of those nearby. Jesse seemed wary about it when he got out of the car and he clung to Gabriel's side, he clutched a handful of Gabe's black shirt. 

Jack went to check in with the receptionist while Gabriel and Jesse found a seat in the waiting room. There were only a few other people in there, most of them didn't look up from the paperwork they were filling out or their phone screens. Thank God. Jesse was an uncollared sub who was missing a limb and covered in tattoos. Gabe wouldn't blame any of them for staring if they did look up and notice. 

They were right on time for their scheduled appointment and thankfully Angela came out to greet them herself. Gabriel recognized her right away as she made her way over.

"Hey Angela, good to see you," Gabriel said. 

He offered a warm hug once she was close enough. He wasn't usually the hugging type but he knew she was. It had been awhile since they met up in person. The white lab coat she was wearing was a far cry from her white wedding dress, but Gabriel couldn't help remembering that day. He'd almost shed a tear seeing Ana's daughter Fareeha be married off. 

"Gabriel." She nodded and then peeked around his massive frame to catch Jack's eye. "Jack." Last but not least, she smiled at Jesse. "And you must be Jesse." 

Jesse shifted, putting Gabriel between himself and Angela. He kept a hand balled up in Gabe's shirt, clutching the fabric desperately.

Gabe intervened to stop his shy retreat. He slid an arm around Jesse's shoulders and held him close. "Hey buddy, you remember Ana, right?" 

Jesse slowly nodded. 

"Well, Ana and Doctor Angela are friends."

Angela smiled and nodded. "That's right. She's my mother-in-law. She told me all about you. I'm really happy I get to meet you. Gabriel and I are going to go back to one of the exam rooms. Would you like to come with?" she asked.

Jack gestured with the clipboard in his hand. "I'm going to stay out here and fill this out." The 'Unregistered Submissive' form didn't look like any fun at all. He was definitely taking one for the team here.

Gabriel would find a way to thank him later. For now he just nodded and escorted Jesse out of the waiting room. 

The exam rooms were unremarkable. Gabe knew that at other hospitals and doctors’ offices, subs were often relegated to substandard beds and equipment. He was even vaguely aware of submissive wards filled with cages instead of gurneys. Those were quickly becoming things of the past, thankfully. This exam room looked exactly like any other exam room. There was even a chair in the corner for him to sit on. He helped Jesse up onto the leather cushioned exam table before taking a seat. 

“When Jack called this morning, he told me you guys are here for a registration exam and chip implantation, is that correct?” Angela asked, closing the door behind her. 

Gabe nodded. 

“Well, if you’re getting him registered today I don’t want to keep you too long. You should really bring him back for a thorough physical, though.” She took pair of latex gloves out of a nearby box to pull on. 

“Yeah, we will.” 

Once Jesse was registered, they could add him as a dependent to Jack’s insurance and the next doctor’s visit would be less expensive. They definitely wanted to get him tested for STIs, and Gabriel had a sneaking suspicion that Jesse had old fractures in some of his bones. Jesse showed no signs of pain but the bruises he had when they found him were so bad. It would be incredible if he hadn’t broken anything in the past. A CAT scan would certainly ease Gabe's mind.

“Do you have any concerns that I should be aware of?” Angela asked. 

“I don’t know what Ana told you, but when we rescued him he was really bad off. He had this spiked collar embedded in his neck, the tattoo on his arm was infected, he was covered in bruises…” Gabriel noticed Jesse bow his head almost self-consciously. “He’s doing a lot better now, though.”

“And his arm.” Angela reached out for it and leaned in so that she was in Jesse’s line of sight. “May I see?” 

Jesse offered her his stump without much fuss. It was funny how he wasn’t shy about his arm at all. He was perfectly okay with Angela carefully examining the place where it had been severed near his elbow. 

“It had been long since healed when I found him.” Gabe shrugged. “Ana said it looks professionally done.” 

Angela considered for a moment before nodding. “Yes, though I can’t imagine why.” Her attention then turned to the patchy tattoo on Jesse’s upper arm. The remnants of a skull with wings. It had been a big scab for a long time, red around the edges. It was mostly healed today though it didn’t look pretty. None of his tattoos did. 

“You said his neck was injured as well?” Angela straightened up a little. “Jesse, I’d like to take off your bandana-“ 

Angela reached out for him and Jesse snatched up her hand at once, fingers tightening around her wrist. 

“Hey,” Gabriel snapped, raising his voice enough to show he meant business. “ _No_.” 

He knew he was soft on Jesse. He knew he kissed him and cuddled him and let him get away with too many things, but Gabriel didn’t play around when it was something serious. He put his foot down when he needed to, and he wasn’t about to tolerate this type of behavior. 

“It’s alright,” Angela said calmly, diffusing the situation. She gently pulled her hand from Jesse’s grasp. “Why don’t you take your bandana off? I promise I won’t even touch you.” 

Jesse didn’t move. 

“Jesse,” Gabriel warned. 

It looked like some unseen force was moving his hands as he reached behind his neck to untie the knot there. He carefully pulled the red bandana away to reveal scarred flesh underneath. Encircled around his neck was a mottled mixture of raised keloid scarring and divots where his skin had been gouged away. Some of it was bright pink, and other places were pale and shiny. 

True to her word, Angela didn’t touch his neck. She did ask him to turn his head one way and then another. She was good with Jesse. She spoke to him in a soft voice that he seemed receptive to. He was especially compliant after she let him put his bandana back on. 

She went through a check list after that, looking into his mouth and down the back of his throat. She checked his ears with a scope. She took his pulse and his blood pressure. She even had Jesse smiling in the end when she listened to his heart beat and his lungs with a stethoscope. 

Angela didn’t have any worries about his scars, or his missing limb. She said he seemed healthy and happy, and as long as they took good care of him that was all that mattered. Though she did stress that they needed to bring him back soon for a more detailed exam. She readily filled out the approval form they would need for registration and handed it over. Then she politely excused herself with the intention to step out and grab the necessary materials for chip implantation. 

Jesse looked over Gabe, a timid expression. He'd been scolded earlier and now his tail was between his legs. Gabriel had a hard time resisting those puppy dog eyes. 

"Jess," he sighed a little, annoyed with himself for giving in and going easy. "Hey, buddy. You're not in trouble, alright? I know you don't like anyone touching your neck. I don't expect you to let anyone touch you in a way you don't like. You can't grab people like that, though. That's not nice. That's what bad subs do." 

This only seemed to make Jesse wilt more. 

"You're not a bad sub, are you?" Gabe prompted him.

He was expecting Jesse to vehemently shake his head 'no'. Instead he looked down at his lap and shrugged.

Gabe's heart sunk in his chest. He stood up, closing the distance between them. He hugged Jesse's shoulders and kissed his face. "No, you're not. You're a good boy. When Angela comes back we'll show her how good you can be. You'll be on your best behavior, won't you?" 

Jesse nodded. 

Not a moment later, Angela returned to the room. She had a stainless steel tray in her hands. Gabriel didn't miss the plastic wrapped item and large hypodermic needle sitting on top. His stomach twisted. If there was anyone in the world who didn't deserve to be poked with needles, it was Jesse. Still, registered subs needed to be chipped. This had to happen. 

"I know it looks scary," Angela said as she set the tray down nearby. "It's really not that bad." 

"Jesse's tough, he can handle it," Gabriel replied, giving Jesse's shoulder a squeeze. 

"What I'm going to have you do is lay back on the exam table," Angela said to Jesse. 

Gabriel let go of him, and Jesse moved to obey. He didn't seem to realize what was about to happen and maybe that was for the better. He laid flat on his back and even wiggled a little to get comfortable. 

"Good," Angela smiled. "Now take your arm and lay it out like this." She took his arm, the one he still had, and posed it for him. The position left his hand resting comfortably at eye level on the cushion while his inner upper arm was exposed.  

Gabriel stepped out of the way a little and watched her work. She changed out her gloves, tore open an alcohol swab and wiped down Jesse's inner arm. She spoke quietly to Jesse all the while, capturing his attention to keep him focused off his arm. She was saying something about how important chips were, and how lucky he was to be finally getting his. 

"I'm going to numb your arm now, Jesse," Angela explained. She picked up the needle and removed its green plastic cover. Gabriel's stomach twisted in a knot but Jesse didn't even flinch when the needle pricked his skin. "It's going to start to tingle a little," Angela explained. "That's normal." 

It was easy to tell when the anesthetic started to work. Jesse's brow pinched in confusion. He frowned deeply. Gabriel wondered how much scarier it was for him to lose feeling in his arm when he had literally lost an arm at one point. 

"You're being a good boy, Jess. Just stay still." Gabe offered up some encouragement. 

Angela poked the needle into him twice more before setting the hypodermic aside. She lifted the other object up from the silver tray. Gabriel honestly didn't even know what it was. She watched her unwrap it from the plastic it was in. It was only because of the podcast he had listened to on chip implantation that Gabriel realized this was an injector. 

"Alright, let's get that chip in there," Angela said cheerfully. "Look up at the ceiling and stay still, Jesse." 

Jesse seemed hesitant to look away but he glanced up at the ceiling as he was told. Angela did the rest.

The chip was a dermal implant, smaller than a matchstick. It was hard for Gabriel to watch the sharp point of the injector slide under Jesse's skin, but he reminded himself that the sub couldn't feel anything. It only took a few seconds before Angela slid the injector back out. There was a small mark on Jesse arm, a little bigger than a pin prick, but otherwise he looked untouched. 

"There we go." Angela brought a square of gauze to the injection site. She felt around with her thumb and smiled. "Nice and easy." 

"It's done?" Gabe asked. 

"It's done." Angela nodded. "At the D.o.S.A. they'll scan it and fill out the pertinent details." She pulled back the gauze and covered the sluggishly-bleeding spot with a band-aid instead. "You did well, Jesse. You really are a good sub." 

Jesse quirked his head to look at her, the corner of his mouth turning up as though he wanted to smile but was feeling too shy. 

"I bet your arm feels a little funny now, doesn't it?" she asked. 

He nodded. 

"Well, I really shouldn't be telling you this... but do you want to know the secret to making things feel better?" 

Jesse nodded again. 

Angela shielded her mouth with a cupped hand and whispered much too loudly. "A kiss from your owner where it hurts makes everything better." 

Jesse cracked and smiled after all. He shifted to catch Gabriel's gaze and gestured with his stump towards his Band-Aid covered bicep. 

"Ah, well, doctor's orders." Gabriel leaned in and pressed a feather light kiss to his arm, and then another and another, inching up towards his shoulder and reaching his face go smother him in annoying kisses until he squirmed and laughed. 

The look of delight in Angela's face afterwards was almost too much.

"You tell Ana or Fareeha about this, you're dead," Gabe warned her playfully. 

She made the motion of zipping her lips for his benefit but he knew they would both find out. 

With the approval form filled out and the chip implanted, they were done at the doctor's office. Gabe helped Jesse off the table.

Together with Angela they walked back out to the waiting room. She mentioned that Jesse might feel a little pain when the anesthetic wore off but none more than getting blood drawn would cause. If he was hurting a lot, they should call her immediately. 

Jack was still filling out paperwork when they joined him. Jesse held up his arm, showing Jack his Band-Aid. 

"Wow, you survived huh?" Jack mused.

Jesse stepped closer, pushing his arm towards Jack's face. 

"Well, the secrets out now. Angela told him that a kiss from his owner would make him feel better again." Gabriel explained. 

"Ah," Jack caught on and smiled. He drew Jesse in close and kissed his bandaid softly. "Of course. As many kisses as you need, buddy." 

 

* * *

 

 

After they paid for the visit, they climbed back into the SUV. Gabriel lauded Jesse's good behavior, choosing to skip over the minor slip-up where he grabbed Angela and compliment his obedience instead. Jesse watched out the window intently, but they knew he was listening. 

The drive out to the D.o.S.A. was a little longer than the drive to the clinic. It was well into mid-morning by the time they got there and the parking lot was full. The building itself was a rather unimpressive looking brick building with "Department of Submissive Affairs" in brass letters across the front. It reminded Gabriel of a library. 

Jesse didn't cling to his shirt when they got out of the car this time, but he stayed impossibly close by. He looked around at everything, clearly wary of the trees in the distance behind the building.

The three of them walked in through the front doors and took a step into the past, two decades back. The decor was ancient. The tiles on the floor were faded, the entire place smelled like old books. It was filled with people, owners and subs alike.

Jesse instantly stiffened up straight like he was being confronted with something threatening. 

"Relax, Jess. You're fine," Gabriel told him. 

"I'll find out which line we need to be in," Jack volunteered. 

The D.o.S.A. ran like a well-oiled machine, similar in a lot of respects to other government agencies and departments. The only problem was that the everyday people who came in to register subs, renew their seller’s licenses, or report runaways didn't come to the D.o.S.A. very often and didn't know what to do. They didn't know which forms they needed or which clerk to talk to. Jack and Gabe had spent hours online making sure they had everything they needed and knew where to go. They had no intention of being a wrench in the gears here. 

After Jack checked the clerk listings, he motioned them over and they got in one of many lines. Jesse didn't like being here and it showed. He was clearly agitated. Jack soothed him by stroking his hair and talking thoughtlessly about getting lunch after this and going to the sub store to pick up some new things. Just words to keep his mind off the crowd.

They were left standing in line for a long time, but eventually it was their turn. Jack did all the talking with the clerk. They had all the documents they needed on hand. The approval form from Angela, proof of current address, identifying documents for both Gabe and Jack, and thirty-five dollars in cash for the registration fee. 

They had to stand around for a couple of minutes while the clerk typed on his computer but eventually they were handed their IDs and proof of address back. The clerk gave them a stamped and sealed registration form and pointed them on down the line to another desk. Thankfully there was no line for this one. 

Jesse was fingerprinted, his photo was taken, and they scanned his chip into the system. From there the D.o.S.A. clerk edited the chip's information to include Jesse's name, his identifiable features, his current address and the names of his owners. This way if he ever got lost, whoever found him could scan him for a chip and take him back home. 

They hadn't tried very hard to find out if Jesse had been chipped before. Gabriel remembered seeing Ana press her thumb into the soft meat of his inner arms while he was half conscious and sweating out a fever in the guest bedroom. She didn't feel anything and so they assume he wasn't chipped. Even if he was, it wasn't like Jack or Gabe would hand him back over to the persons who had beaten and abused him. 

The clerk asked if they would like to cross reference Jesse's fingerprints with the subs in the system and see if he was already in there. It seemed unlikely. If his previous owners hadn't chipped him, they probably hadn't registered him either. If he was in the system at all it would be an incomplete account. 

Although it was unlikely that the names and address of his previous owners would be on record, Gabriel didn't want to know either way. If he found out where those people lived, nothing in this world would stop him from driving over there in the middle of the night and beating the shit out of them with a baseball bat. It was better not to tempt fate. 

Instead they thanked the clerk, took their stamped and approved registration information and headed back out. It was a long and boring visit to the D.o.S.A. but in a place like that, long and boring was about as good as it gets. It really could have been a lot more stressful and a lot worse. 

 

* * *

 

They stopped for food on the way to the sub store. Gabriel and Jack didn't want to push the envelope and try taking Jesse out to a restaurant. This whole day was clearly wearing on him. Instead they decided on fast food, and they didn't even plan on getting out of the car.

Jesse went wide-eyed when they went through the drive thru. He was more curious than anything about the loud voice on the speaker that asked for their order. He leaned against the window and watched as they pulled up to pay and collect their food. He must have known what they were doing but it didn't occur to him entirely until they had paper bags of burgers and fries filling the car up with the delicious smell of greasy fast food. 

"Hungry, buddy?" Jack asked as he pulled into a parking space. 

Jesse sat at the edge of his seat and nodded. 

Gabriel unwrapped a burger for him and passed it back. "Don't make a mess," he ordered, but he knew that was a lost cause. 

Jesse wolfed down two burgers and an entire carton of fries himself. Then he leaned in between their seats and offered his biggest, cutest puppy dog eyes until Jack and Gabe both gave in and offered him handfuls of their own fries. 

"Jess you ever had onion rings before?" Jack asked. 

Jesse quirked his head. 

"Here, you might like them." Jack offered one up to Jesse who took it readily. He made a happy noise as he ate it. Jack ended up giving up half his onion rings. 

All the energy that the doctor's office and the D.o.S.A. had drained out of him were restored by a big meal and some good food. Jesse was practically smiling as they drove off again. One more stop and they could head back home. If they made it through the rest of the day without fault then they could call this a success. 

The sub store they were going to, aptly named Sub Supply, was conveniently located near their neighborhood so Jack drove them back in the direction of home. They drove quietly, listening to the radio until they reached the shopping center that Sub Supply was located in. It wasn't quite a strip mall, but almost. A craft store, grocery store, a couple of restaurants and a second-hand shop were all bundled together around a giant parking lot. 

Jack found a decent parking space and they all piled out. Jesse was hot on Jack's heels as they crossed the parking lot, not wanting to get separated from his owners. They walked in passed the cash registers and the grooming salon. Gabe surveyed the signs above the aisles. The right side of the store seemed to be devoted entirely to toys, while the left side had more practical items like cages, leashes, and collars. He lead the way towards the collar aisle, not quite sure how Jesse would take this. 

"Hey, Jess, you remember what we said last night about wearing a collar now that you're registered?" he asked casually. 

Jesse was looking around at everything with big eyes. He didn't respond in any way or even show that he was listening. 

Also walking down the wide middle aisle of store was a male owner and his female sub. She was stunningly beautiful, the type of sub who probably got stares everywhere she went. She flipped her lengthy hair dismissively as she walked passed Jesse, looking down on him with disdain. Jesse hurried to be closer to Jack and Gabe, more afraid of her than he was of any collars. In fact, he was so busy looking over his shoulder he didn't even seem to realize which aisle he'd hurried into. 

"Something soft," Jack suggested, putting an arm around Jesse. 

A lot of the collars appeared to be leather or nylon, though some were plastic and others were metal. They even had a few chain ones that Gabriel noticed with distaste. They definitely wouldn't be tightening metal around Jesse's neck. He felt up a nylon collar with a plastic buckle. The material was stiffer than he expected it to be. He touched one of the leather ones but found it to be rather stiff as well. 

Jesse finally noticed what Gabriel was picking out and he straightened up, expression hardening. He didn't panic and run screaming from the aisle, which was good, but then again they hadn't tried to put a collar on him yet. He had been scared of the bandana when they first put it on him, and now he never took it off. Surely if they approached this with caution Jesse would be open to wearing a collar, too. 

Gabriel found a thin leather collar with little stiffness to it. It was brown, which suited Jesse nicely. He found a large size and picked it up. "What about this?" 

Jack nodded. "It's nice." 

He stepped over to the two of them and showed it to Jesse, making sure he could see that there were no metal spikes inside. Nothing scary, just a collar. Gabriel planned on leaving extra room so that the leather wouldn't be right against Jesse's skin. The large size should be fine but he wanted to make sure it would fit. 

"I'm going to try this collar on you, Jesse. I need you to be a good boy," Gabriel told him.

Jesse looked up at him. He made a pitiful noise of protest. 

"I'm not going to hurt you," Gabe promised. "You don't need to be scared. It'll feel just like wearing your bandana." 

With slow, telegraphed movements, he brought the collar up to Jesse's neck. Jesse tipped his chin up to allow it but his eyebrows drew together fearfully. Gabe saw his Adam's Apple bob in his throat. It was going relatively well so far. Jesse was clearly nervous but not too upset. Gabe was just about to close the buckle when Jesse's hand flew up, grabbing him by the wrist. 

" _No_ ," Gabriel warned him quietly. "Jesse. Let go. I know you're scared, but you can't grab people like this. You know that." 

Jesse didn't immediately move. They were in a stalemate for a long, drawn-out moment, before suddenly his bottom lip began to tremble and tears welled up in his eyes. He squeezed hard on Gabe's wrist. 

"Gabe, don't," Jack whispered, exasperated. "Don't push it. He's not ready."

With Jesse still squeezing his wrist, Gabe lowered his hand, pulling the collar away from his neck.

Jesse breathed a sigh of relief. The tears that had filled up his eyes were still threatening to fall. "I'm sorry," he rasped quietly, another one of the very few phrases he was permitted to speak. 

Gabriel usually made him say sorry after his tantrums at home. He'd never said it unprompted before. It was heart-wrenching to hear him offer up an apology so readily. Gabe thought of him in the exam room, shrugging like he didn't know if he was a good sub or not. He thought of him chained to the tree in the woods, big brown eyes brimming with tears like they were now.

He put the collar aside and pulled Jesse in for a hug. "Shit. It's okay, Jesse. I'm sorry, too. There's no need to cry, alright? You're okay. No one is going to collar you." 

Jesse sniffed and nodded. He reached up to rub the tears from his eyes with loose fists.

"This is mean," Gabe said to Jack, looking over at him as he held Jesse and patted his back. 

"I hate it too, but it's the law," Jack said, frowning. "We'll get fined if he's taken out without a leash and someone could call Submissive Services on us." 

"He was good today," Gabriel reasoned. "You know how scared he used to be of drives, but he wasn't scared this morning. We went to three different places. He was on his best behavior at the D.o.S.A. He was good for Angela. This is how we repay him?" 

"You're right," Jack agreed with a sigh. "Jesse's been good today. Maybe he deserves a new toy? Why don't you go take him to pick one out while I'll figure out something over here." 

Gabe offered a thankful smile. This was kind of the best part about being married, having someone to figure things out for him when he needed it. He pulled back and addressed the sub. "C'mon, buddy. Jack says you're good enough to deserve a new toy."

If nothing else, a distraction would be nice. Together they walked over towards the other side of the store. 

Gabe wasn't paying particular attention to where he was going until he approached an aisle filled with whips and floggers. While he was pretty sure Jesse had never been whipped or flogged by his previous owners, but he definitely didn't need to find out by inducing flashbacks in the middle ofSub Supply. He quickly veered them down to the next aisle instead. As far as he could tell, it was mostly vibrators. 

"You ever see one of these before?" Gabe asked, reaching out for one of the vibrators on display, a remote-controlled metal bullet with a large "tester" sticker stuck to bottom. 

Jesse curled warily against Gabe side and shook his head. 

"It's okay. It's just a toy." Gabe turned it on and it immediately began to buzz. "Hold out your hand." 

Jesse tentatively held his hand up, offering his palm. Gabriel touched the buzzing vibrator to the tips of Jesse’s fingers. His eyebrows drew together in concern but he didn't pull his hand away. After a moment he seemed to put the purpose of the toy together and a quiet gasp escaped him. 

"What do you think? You want one of these?" Gabe asked. 

Jesse made a quiet noise and he pulled his hand back. He shook his head. 

"No?" Gabe turned the vibrator off and put it back on the shelf. "Let's go see if we can find a toy you'll like." 

They leisurely strolled down to the end of the aisle and around the end into the next. Gabe was surprised to see someone shopping in the aisle, and he was even more surprised when he recognized who it was. 

"Amelie?" He called out to her. 

Amelie was as tall as she was beautiful, with long black hair strung up in a high ponytail. Her nails and shoes were both stilettos. She lifted her gaze from the toy she was inspecting and blinked, lashes fluttering at Gabe. Jesse slunk back, almost hiding behind Gabriel's shoulder, clutching his owner's hand.

Amelie was a coworker. Originally from France, she was an ex-military sniper. She was sharp-eyed, smart, and a good colleague to work with. She had a dark past that Gabriel only knew bits and pieces of. He was always friendly with her during jobs but since she didn't talk about herself very much, he ended up talking a lot. He remembered working a security job with her when he first moved out to Indiana to be with Jack. He told her all about the small-town appeal, the cold winters filled with brilliant snow, the quiet countrysides. 

The next thing he knew, she had moved to town. Gabriel always got the sense she was running from something but he didn't know what. She told him it was because he made it sound so nice here. Maybe that was true, but he doubted it. It was still surreal to bump into her around town. 

"Gabriel," she smiled, putting the phallic-shaped toy in her hand down on the shelf.

Before either of them could open their mouths and say anything more, a sub popped her head out from the other side of Amelie. "Hi, hot stuff!" She was naked as the day she was born save for a purple collar around her throat. Gabriel noted with interest that half her head was shaved.

"This is Sombra," Amelie said, introducing her sub. 

"Nice to meet you." Gabriel nodded at her. She was cute. He had no idea Amelie had a sub but he wasn't surprised. He could feel their eyes shift to Jesse and he offered a polite smile. "This is Jesse," Gabriel introduced him. "He's a rescue. He hasn't met many new people yet." 

"What happened to your arm?" Sombra asked, blunt and direct. It was common for subs to speak to other subs on a personal level. They were allowed to interact with one another in a casual way that they couldn't with their owners. 

Jesse didn't reply. 

"We're still training him,” Gabriel explained. “He's not allowed to speak."

"Sombra's supposed to be quiet, too," Amelie noted, cocking up an eyebrow to look at her sub. 

Sombra flashed a smile like she didn't feel guilty at all for misbehaving and suddenly turned her attention to the nearby toys, browsing them curiously as not to annoy her owner or Gabe with any other questions. 

"We just got Jess registered today," Gabriel explained, tugging Jesse close to him so he couldn't hide. He wrapped an arm around the sub's waist, squeezing comfortingly. "We're looking for a toy, since he's been so good." 

Amelie offered a sharp smile, more dangerous than pleasant. "He's a very pretty boy." 

Gabriel looked to Jesse. "Yeah, we think so, too. Jack's here with me today." 

They talked a little while longer about work and which upcoming jobs they were considering. Gabriel explained that he wasn't too keen on leaving the house for weeks at a time and leaving Jesse alone seeing as he was new and all. Amelie found that reasonable. 

As they spoke, Sombra picked up toy after toy, presenting each to her owner. Amelie ignored her and kept talking, gently pushing her hand away whenever she brought something new over. Sombra seemed to know that meant 'no' without specifically being told 'no' and she would wander down the aisle dejectedly until she found a new toy to present. Jesse watched her warily, not quite understanding this behavior. Maybe someday he would feel brave enough to wander around the aisles of a store alone, but not today. 

In the distance, Gabriel heard a three-toned whistle, quick but loud. "Oh, excuse me. That's Jack. It was good to talk to you, Amelie, and nice to meet Sombra. I'll send you an email later." 

Instead of cluelessly calling out to each other or running all over stores looking for each other, they would whistle. It was pretty effective and especially helpful in grocery stores. Gabriel lead Jesse back into the wide middle aisle. He spotted Jack across the way, curiously holding something behind his back. 

"Who's the best, most handsome, smartest husband in the world?" Jack prompted as they approached, smiling proudly. 

"Me, most likely," Gabriel replied. 

Jack took his hand from behind his back and presented them with... a jumble of soft brown leather straps. 

"Wow, did you make that yourself?" Gabe asked. 

"It's a harness." Jack replied, very pleased with himself. 

Gabe lifted his chin thoughtfully. Huh. That was actually a great idea. So long as he had a harness and leash on, they wouldn't need to force Jesse to wear a collar. Jack had probably stumbled into the harness aisle on accident, but it was still good on him to find them. 

"Yeah, let's see if he likes that better." 

"Hey, Jesse, Be a good boy and let me put this on you," Jack said, approaching him with it. 

He knew how to make sense of the straps better than Gabe did, so he went for it. He slid one loop up Jesse's arm and smooth talked him, telling him sweet things about how handsome he would look with a nice harness on and how much more fun they were to wear than collars and how it wouldn't hurt or go around his neck at all. When he was done Jesse had brown leather wrapped around his shoulders and around his chest. It actually looked pretty good on him. 

"Woah, look at that handsome sub," Jack teased.

Jesse looked down at himself and smiled shyly. He tried to look over his shoulder at the harness straps on his back. It was kind of adorable. 

Gabriel reached out, running a hand along Jack's back. "Thank you," he said fondly. His heart would break if they had to force a collar on Jesse again. This was really the perfect solution. 

"I'm glad I found it," Jack replied, smiling softly. "I've got a leather leash, too. I bet the store will let him wear both out. Did you guys find a toy?" 

"No." Gabe shook his head. 

"I've got something in mind for that, too," Jack said, his smirk returning. "You two head up front I'll meet you." 

 

* * *

 

Jesse happily wore his harness out of the store, all the way home, and even afterwards in the house. His relief when they returned was palpable. It really was a big day out for him. Jack and Gabe were both proud of how well he had done and they were happy to let him rest now that they were back. 

Jesse fell asleep on the couch, a quiet afternoon nap, still wearing his harness. He probably only liked it because they complimented him endlessly for wearing it. It did look good on him, though. The brown leather matched his soft hair and pretty eyes. 

He woke in the evening, nose wiggling as he smelled dinner cooking. It was always nice when he woke on his own and not because of a bad dream. He cuddled up to Gabriel on the couch, nuzzling his thigh.

Gabe stroked Jesse’s hair absentmindedly as he read over his email to Amelie. He wondered if he should plan a play date between their two subs. It was too early to take Jesse to the park; he wasn't socialized enough for that yet. Maybe spending time with another sub like Sombra would help him get used to playing with others. It would be nice if he could have friends. 

Jesse hungrily ate dinner as though he didn't scarf down two burgers, tons of fries, and all of Jack's onion rings earlier in the car. At least their meal was a little bit healthier: chicken and vegetables. Jesse wasn't a picky eater at all. He didn't push around his peas on his plate; he shoveled it all down and then offered pleading eyes, begging for seconds. 

After dinner, Jesse helped wash dishes. They migrated to the bedroom when all the chores were done.

Gabe helped take the harness off. There were a few red lines in his skin where the leather had been, but nothing deep or painfu, just the sort of red lines that came with wearing clothes. Still, Gabe worried over them, hoping they would fade soon as not to resemble the scars or bruises Jesse had previously had in his life. 

"Wanna see the new toy we got you?" Jack asked, picking up the plastic Sub Supply bag.

Jesse looked over, blinking curiously. He'd managed to catch a glimpse of it while they were checking out but he probably didn't know what it was. 

The toy Jack had picked out was a fleshlight. He began unboxing now. Gabriel was still skeptical about the toy, but it was a good idea. Since they had no idea if Jesse had been fucked by his previous owners, and if so how hard or how rough, it was smart to avoid anything penetrative. 

Jesse wasn't shy around their cocks. He happily touched them or sat in their laps when they were hard. Sometimes he reached for their laps while cuddling on the couch, and other times he guided their hands to his own lap. Jack and Gabe hadn't tried to fuck him yet though. They were hesitant to try anything like that, even with condoms on. Instead they fucked each other like usual and only lightly played with Jesse. Gabe wondered if he would be as willing when they really tried to have sex with him, or if he would panic when things got serious. It was honestly anyone's guess and they wouldn't find out for a while yet. 

"I'm gonna go rinse this out to be safe," Jack decided, leaving to go to the bathroom in the hall. 

Gabe sat down beside Jesse and leaned in, kissing his shoulder softly. "Can you get nice and hard before Jack gets back?" he asked. 

Gabriel was usually pretty strict about phrasing orders and commands without making them questions. "Go over there" instead of "Can you go over there for me?" or "Stop talking" instead of "Will you stop talking?" There was no need to give a sub a choice in anything and sweetening up the phrasing of words lead to disobedience. That being said, sex was still a sensitive subject. If Jesse couldn't get it up, it was okay. Gabe wanted him to know that. 

Jesse nodded and reached down with the hand he still had to gently touch his own cock. 

Gabriel hummed happily and leaned in to kiss Jesse's shoulder again. "Yeah, that's a good boy." 

By the time Jack came back, Gabriel and Jesse were locking lips in an open-mouthed kiss. Jesse was holding his stiff cock in his hand, eyes closed.

Gabriel heard Jack rummage around the room for lube, but he was too focused on kissing Jesse to try and help. They didn't kiss on the lips very often. Mostly just cheek kisses of Gabe pressing various kisses to other parts of Jesse's body. 

The bed dipped as Jack sat down on Jesse's other side. Gabriel broke their kiss. There was a beautiful moment when he pulled back where he saw Jesse with his eyes close and his lips parted, a pleased expression on his face. His eyes fluttered open slowly and he smiled.

"Remember, Jesse, if we do something sexual that you don't like, all you have to do is say 'No' and we'll stop," Jack reminded him. 

Jesse nodded. He knew.

Jack showed him the fleshlight. The shape and size of it, and the little opening where his cock would go. He let Jesse watch as he poured lube in. Then he got to work, toying with the sub. He brought the soft silicone opening to Jesse's cockhead and teased him with the notion of penetration. He almost slipped the fleshlight off again and again before he finally slid it down.

Jesse made a quiet noise as his cock filled the wet tube. 

Gabriel leaned in to kiss his jaw. "That feel good?" He asked. 

Jesse whimpered in reply. 

Jack began fucking Jesse slow. It looked like he was jerking him off the way his arm movements were. In a sense this was an upgrade of a hand-job. He slid the fleshlight up and down Jesse's stiff cock, eliciting squelching noises and quiet moans. 

Jesse came incredibly quickly. His body seized up and he trembled, crying out as he climaxed. Jack worked him with the fleshlight all the way through until his orgasm was done. Jack and Gabe both whispered to him calling him a good boy. They touched his flushed skin, stroking him fondly, and kissed him in different places. When it was over he was blushing like mad. 

"You like that?" Jack asked, pulling the fleshlight away. 

Jesse nodded. 

"Go lay down on the bed and catch your breath," Gabriel ordered, kissing him on the cheek. 

Jesse was hesitant to break away from them, but he went. He crawled up by the pillows and laid his head down, chest rising and falling heavily. His cock was soft and glistening. 

"My turn," Gabe announced, standing up to undo his belt. 

"What, you're going to jerk off with this thing, too?" Jack asked, clearly disbelieving. 

"Oh no, I've got something much prettier to stick my dick into." Gabriel replied, offering a charming smile so that Jack wouldn't be too offended by being compared to a sub's toy. 

He grinned too, a crooked, chagrined smile. Jack also stood up to take his pants off. They locked in on one another and kissed, standing at the foot of the bed. Their kiss was much more heated and passionate than the gentle kisses they'd been giving Jesse. Gabriel chased after Jack's mouth aggressively, wanting to taste his spit. 

They barely managed to undress. Jack was quickly shoved over the foot of the mattress. They were both rock hard from playing with Jesse and neither of them wanted to wait any longer to start fucking. Gabe paused to stretch Jack open before quickly taking him from behind. They fucked fast and rough, panting and meeting each other's thrusts. 

Jesse watched with glassy eyes and an open mouth at the head of the bed. He reached down to touch himself, breath hitching as he saw Gabe pound into Jack again and again. 

They had a lot more stamina than young Jesse had. They slowly wore each other down until they were both sweaty messes gasping for breath. Gabe's dick was raw from Jack's tight hole squeezing around it with each thrust. He finished out in his own time, grunting roughly as an orgasm burned through him. Afterwards he gave Jack the reach-around and milked his cock onto the comforter. 

Jack collapsed, breathless on the bed. 

Gabe had enough resolve to hold himself up. He locked eyes with Jesse and beckoned the sub over with a hand motion. Jesse, curious, crawled from the bed. He padded quickly around the side to stand beside Jack and Gabe. 

"Take a look at this," Gabe said breathily as he pulled out. He reached out to spread Jack's ass wide. 

Jack made a noise of protest, likely embarrassed. 

"Someday soon, this'll be yours too, Jess. I'll let you have all my sloppy seconds." 

Jesse's eyes went big. He stared at Jack's gaping hole like it was a prize. 

"Wanna put your fingers in?" Gabriel asked. That was a relatively safe thing for them to do. Jesse nodded. He waited for a nod of approval before he dropped down to his knees to be face level with Jack's ass. He reached out with tentative fingers. They slipped into the waiting hole before him with ease. He and Jack both gasped. 

"Oh my god," Jack squirmed. "He's wiggling them." 

Gabriel cracked up. "Attaboy, Jesse." 

Jesse pulled his hand back after a moment to find his fingers wet with come. He seemed surprised. 

"Have a taste," Gabe suggested. 

Jesse brought his fingers to his lips, those same lips Gabriel had been kissing not too long ago. He suckled the wetness into his mouth and made a face. Gabriel laughed at him. That was okay. There was plenty of time for him to learn to like it. 

 

* * *

 

It had been a while since they had a good hard fuck like that. It felt nice to involve Jesse too. They wanted to ease him into sex carefully and make sure he felt comfortable. Gabriel was pretty sure they’d accomplished that. 

They took turns in the bathroom afterwards. Jack usually got Jesse ready for bed, but Gabriel did it tonight. He helped him brush his teeth and comb his hair and made sure he went to the bathroom. Gabe brushed his own teeth and his own hair and walked Jesse back to bed. Jack took his turn in there after them.  

Gabriel turned out all the lights aside from the one on the bedside table. He turned down the covers and climbed in with Jesse.  Usually when he came to bed, Jesse and Jack were already cuddled up together. It wasn't often that Gabe had the sub all to himself under the covers. Even though they had all the space on the mattress to spread out if they wanted to, they curled close to one another. Gabe hugged Jesse to his chest and kissed his hair, the big spoon to his little spoon.

"Is there room for me?" Jack asked through a yawn as he walked in through the bedroom door. He got into his side of the bed, slotting in to place on the other side of Jesse. He was clearly tired but he didn't turn the light out right away. He laid with his head propped up on his arm and smiled at the two of them.

"What?" Gabe asked. 

"Nothing. I love you, that's all." 

"I love you too," Gabe told him. 

"And I love you, Jesse." Jack reached out to stroke back Jesse's hair. 

Jesse was facing Jack, but he lifted up his head to see him better, staring up at him with big brown eyes. 

"Do you want to say it?" Jack asked softly. "I think we can add that to the list of acceptable phrases. Only if you want to, buddy. You don't have-" 

"I love you," Jesse told him. He squirmed, wiggling and turning around to face Gabe. "I love you too." 

Gabe's had to swallow a stupid lump in his throat from hearing those words. He hoped it was true. He hoped Jesse felt safe and happy and completely loved. He could be just saying those words to say them, but Gabriel didn't think so. Somehow that made the lump in his throat even harder to swallow. 

"I love you too, Jesse," he kissed the sub's cheek.

Jesse smiled. He shifted again, squirming to find the perfect sleeping spot in between his owners. In the middle of getting comfortable, Jesse made a quiet noise, flinching a little. He shifted, taking his weight off his arm. 

"What's the matter?" Gabe asked before he realized Jesse had laid down on his chipped arm. "Hurt a little?" 

Jesse nodded. 

Gabriel moved to kiss his Band-Aid very gently. "There we go. All better." He would check in the morning to see if it was still hurting and if so he might call Ana or Angela. For now it seemed fine. 

Jesse stared at him for a long moment. He glanced to Jack too before shyly moving to tug down on his bandana. He revealed a tiny bit of the scarring there. Gabriel watched curiously in the dim light, trying to understand what this meant. Jesse waited patiently. 

"Does that hurt too?" Gabe asked after a beat, voice dropping to a whisper. 

Jesse nodded. 

Gabe's heart ached in his chest. He leaned in and gingerly kissed Jesse's neck. He tried not to let himself get choked up. He pulled back and smiled. "There. All better." 

What was it Jack he said back at the doctor's office?  _As many kisses as you need_

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! 
> 
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